BATES PUT UP STUBBORN GAME

WEAKNESSES OF UNIVERSITY TEAM DISCLOSED IN STRUGGLE SATURDAY.

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED
October 6, 1913

As one of the Boston papers put it. "Bates Holds Harvard to 14 to 0 Score." Of course, the wet field made the game treacherous; but, though Bates, was at no time dangerous, she certainly proved that the University team needs a lot of that the University team needs a lot of training in certain departments and especially among the second string men. The game Saturday was distinctly a kicking contest and the work of the Harvard punters was very encouraging compared to that in the Maine game. The punts were not very long, but they were well placed and were high enough to give the ends, and frequently the tack, less and guards, time to get under them. If there was any one weakness that showed up clearly it was the inability of the substitute line-men to open up holes for the backs. Twice in the fourth periods Bates took the ball on downs on her own 18 and three-yard line. A general criticism might also be made that the interference ahead of Mahan on his starting end runs was extremely poor. In one case he would undoubtedly have made a score if any sort of interference had been given him.

Sensational Plays of the Game.

Probably the prettiest play of the day was made by Bates. After two unsuccessful attempts at an onside kick, a third try was made and succeeded beautifully. The man who received the ball was behind it when it was kicked and was, therefore, onside and had the privilege of taking it. He caught it cleanly and had made 30 yards before he was tackled. The University men in the last quarter pulled off three perfect forward passes which were nearly, if not quite, as spectacular s the onside kick. They were Mahan to Milholland, Freedley to L. Curtis. Other Sensational plays were Mahan's two long and runs in both of which his interference was slow and lifeless. He managed to make about 30 yards on each, however, and thus gave a good account of himself as a broken field runner.

Work of the Players.

Bradlee, the new quarterback was again watched with a great deal of interest. He ran the team very well indeed, but was weak when playing on the defence. He persisted in misjudging punts, though just before he was taken out he seemed to have come into his own, for the took a kick perfectly and ran it in some 25 yards. On the offence his it weakness was that he seemed a little prone to fumble and handled the ball with insecurity. However, he has improved much since the Maine game.

The game that Mills played t guard was particularly pleasing, for he seemed not only to do his work well on the defence but to be down with the ends under punts. Of the line-men, Captain, Storer and Hitchcock, the veterans, played par excellence. Not a play got by them and seldom could the ends beat them down the field. Of the ends, Milholland, O'Brien, and L. Curtis all showed up well, though several times they needed assistance after getting sucked in on end plays. The work of Milholland and Curtis in taking forward passes was particularly encouraging.

Brickley, Mahan, and Hardwick proved their claim to recognition as a powerful backfield. Their work was hardly less than wonderful.

Taken as a whole the Bates game showed that the University team needs to be tightened up and made into a little more of a unit.

As stated above, Bates was never dangerous. Aside from the onside kick her only other remarkable play was a 25-yard dash by Talbot around right end. As a rule Bates could gain only a yard or so at a time and generally had to punt. Captain Danahy played a good game until injured late in the last period.

How the Scoring Was Done.

Brickley made the first score in the first period, a drop from the 25-yard line after O'Brien had recovered a fumble on the 30-yard line and Brickley had rushed it 15 yards. In the second period a series of rushed from midfield placed the ball on Bates's 14-yard line, from where Hardwick made a beautiful buck through left guard and over the line. He failed to kick the goal, the ball bouncing from one of the upright posts. The next score was a safety by Talbot of Bates, after a bad pass had gone over his head and rolled over the goal-line. That was toward the end of the game and no more scoring was expected. But Mahan, after running around end 30 yards made a nice goal from the 25-yard line, bringing the score up to 14.